Heart of steel melted
by Jungle Leopard
Summary: The Nightwatcher is on patrol. Like every night since he got kicked out of home. But one night he saves a young girl: Liliath.


Disclaimer: _I don't own TMNT! But I own Liliath..._

**Heart of steel melted**

* * *

Raph was alone. Again. The alley was dark and smelly. He remembered barely how he got to this alley. Alone.

He remembered that he was sent out of the lair. Why? He didn't remember, or he didn't want to remember. Just a fight. A nasty fight with his three brothers. Master Splinter had sent him out of the lair.

Three months ago. He had built a motorcycle somehow, but really, it was marvelous! He had been rumoring the streets since three months, resting in a warehouse, practicing at day and riding the streets as the Nightwatcher at night. He had done well so far. He celebrated his 16th birthday alone- the first birthday without being embarrassed by Mikey, and although he missed his Sensei and his brothers, he had not been cursing his new life nor did he disapprove in life on the streets. He has done well, and he really felt less depressed than he did in the lair, no need to hide secrets. Though he was sent out of the lair three months ago, Master Splinter hadn't sent him out permanently.

They probably thought after a time he would come back. But they didn't know him!

Not the Nightwatcher, not Raphael Nightwatcher. Not anymore. Life on the street had changed him. He was more agile now, faster, stronger, more skilled. He had discovered new fighting skills, gained more experience, fought more fights. Though he still was the hothead turtle, and still kept his anger, he would first analyze his enemie's movements and strength before attack. He still attacked very fast. He kept his pride and his pride even increased, and he was more distant than ever.

He didn't live in the lair anymore. The warehouse at the edge of 5th Avenue, that was home. His home.

It was his pride that did not allow him to give up trying, to give up the sweet struggle for life, relying only on himself, trusting only himself. To deny his mistake and to beg for mercy was not even an option. He sure missed his previous family, but he got used to it, ignored it and he did not feel sorry for himself a single time.

On the ninety-fourth or perhaps ninety-fifth day of exile he again retreated to the warehouse.

PUNCH. KICK. PUNCH. BACKFLIP PUNCH, KICK. PUNCH. That was what he heard, and after a few hours- one or two perhaps- he was panting and sweating. He was exhausted, but satisfied. He had practiced a new move, beating up someone by pressure points. A dog, a human, a crocodile and a turtle, that's who's pressure points he had practiced. Yes, a turtles. But only for the own safety, knowing what he needs to avoid, nothing else. He took his boxing gloves, directly hit the second punching bag, which he had filled with iron plates. This made his fists strong. After that he wiped the last drops of Foot ninja blood off his sais and throwing stars and his two small knives. Yes, he had eight new weapons, making him armed with ten weapons, twelve if you count the metal chains from his Nightwatcher suit too. Two sais, the two metal chains, six throwing stars and two small knives he used when, but only WHEN his sais got knocked out of his hands. The knives were only a security measure.

He took a few hours of sleep, and woke up only at six o'clock. It was not dark yet, sice it was May. Soon twilight would take over the city. Then the Nightwatcher would get in charge of the city's protection. He would ride the streets on his bike, he alone, not his brothers, he alone. And he liked it.

It was time. After he had put on his Nightwatcher suit, Raphael jumped on his bike, and was out on the street. He trusted his suit, because it looked very alike to bike driver's, and he trusted the night, hiding him from curious looks. He chose streets which were mainly deserted, but where he could drive fast without drawing anyone's attention to him. He also drove on the roofs and he made the main streets by foot. On the roofs ofcourse.

THIS night he did the same. He heard the desperate crying of a girl, a young girl perhaps. He liked saving teenager girls, because the never struggled when he carried them, nor did they scream. They stayed quiet and did what his deep voice commanded them. He didn't know why. He didn't know that his rescues had spread among the some girls of New York, and that these girls were walking on the street in HOPE to be attacked and then see the Nightwatcher with their own eyes. Raph didn't know that. But he grew suspicious why every second victim of attack was a young girl...

He emerged towards the cry. He stopped his bike in an alley, got on a roof and made his way on, closer and closer.

* * *

Liliath screamed. About twenty men were cornering her. They all wore ninja masks. She didn't come here in hope to see the Nightwatcher like her friend would have, no, she had been at her friend April's house. She wished she could have learned a little of martial arts like April, but she doughted if it would have helped. She had no idea about April's friends, and April had no idea who the Nightwatcher was.

She thought it might be some teenager boy, so she didn't tell the turtles. If she did, Donnie maybe would have made the connection between Raph, the Nightwatcher and the fact that the Nightwatcher rode a bike without a number. But Donnie never heard of the Nightwatcher.

Liliath tried to move and kick one of those weird ninjas, but he just held a knife to her throat, while questioning her about April and some stupid turtles. She only muttered that she did not know about any turtles and she murmured something not understandable. Then the ninja above her had the blade knocked out of his hand by a throwing star. A dark figure jumped down from above, landing next to Liliath. Her heart began to beat faster as he picked her up and told her to run for it, told her with his deep, handsome voice. That was the Nightwatcher. She ran, blushing as he turned his masked face towards her. She ran, but then climbed a roof to see what he was doing. Seeing him even let her overcome her fear of heights. She saw how the Nightwatcher, more agile and stronger than any man she ever saw.

He PLAYED with the ninjas. He let his iron chains snap out and whirl about, trapping two ninjas immediately. He did not use his throwing stars anymore. After he had knocked out the two ninjas he caught, he took out two sais, and masterly spun them around in his hands, getting into a fighting stance. He emerged. He didn't wound anyone, but he scared them, then he laughed ( "oh, that handsome deep laugh", Liliath thougt) and put the sais back, seeing the terrified faces. Then the ninjas attacked. The Nightwatcher knocked a few down there, hitting a couple of them hardly here. It was obviously not a matter if he defeated the ninja, but WHEN. It was a matter of five minutes, then all ninjas lay on the ground. Dead perhaps. He shoved the twenty of them into the big dustbins.

Now her collected his throwing star and easily climbed back up the roof. He noticed her, noticed her scared face.

" Are ya 'K?", he asked with a Brooklyn accent, not taking off his helmet, an he moved up to her. He was about three inches taller than her. She herself was five feet and five inches tall, so he had to be some five feet eight inches tall.

"l'm fine", she answered, " but why did you kill those ninjas?"

"Ya don' have to worry about da groth of their army. Jus' promise me ya won't tell a damn soul 'bout me killin' 'em. Yeah, and anothe thing: don't tell anyone which weapons I use.", he said again.

"I promise", Liliath said, and then:

"Could you please get me off the roof now?"

"Sure thing," he said again, picked her up bride style without effort and jumped for he fire exit of a nearby house. Then he went down, jumping wall to wall and Liliath clutched onto him, although she felt his confidence.

Raph was used to things like that, and he didn't mind a bit.

He put her down gently and as she stood there and smiled at him looking all pretty, he blushed, but his mask kept it a secret. He put his big prank on her shoulder and directed her softly down to the end of the alley. He sure thought she was different, he felt that she had a secret to hide, but he liked her. A lot.

* * *

'No way,' Liliath thought, 'I'm NOT falling for the Nightwatcher. Underneath that helmet could be anyone!' But, although she hated to admit her feelings, she felt her heart beat by the mere thought of him, so loud she wondered if no one could hear her.

She wasn't the type of chatty girl, and she wasn't going to tell a soul about tonight's experience. She thought of his deep voice and blushed. Again.

* * *

Raph stood on the roof, his eyes following Liliath's slim body figure walk out oft he alley. He liked everything about her, her black hair with the violett ans in it, her harsh and light purple style of clothing, her creamcolored skin, her small chest and tiny curves, her red lips and her green, fierce eyes, her beautifully smooth and yet clear voice, the way she smiled and even the way she blinked.

‚Damn it, ‚ Raph thought, ‚I'm becoming way too poetic right now, I'll go home.'

Raph put his suit off and gave his weapons a loving glare, but not as loving as the glare he sent after Liliath. He was ready to visit the same place tomorrow night, and he was ready to find out the secret, who's presence he felt around Liliath.

* * *

Liliath undressed and went under the relaxing shower. As soon as the warm water touched her skin, it began to turn, to grow and disform into something else. Her back hardened and grew, her skin turned greea, her cheeks slowly spread and her hair grew back into her skull. After thirty seconds Liliath had completely transformed into a beautifull turtle girl. Liliath was used tot hat. The warm water did such things, but she did not transform too often, fearing one day it would become permanent.

Liliath remembered how last year when she was only mere 15, her mom registered her at a free school, just the night before strange men broke into their house. Liliath was told to flee, but her mom did not make it. She was shot. Dead. Liliath had stumbled over a strange substance, one single drop hit her, but she wiped it off with a leaf immediately. Now she thought it must have been a mutating substance. Liliath had moved into an old house, just close to her school. She had a part-time job which earned her her living. It was clear she could never start a deeper relationship as long as the mutagen was on her. That might mean forever.

She got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her. She for some reason didn't feel naked at all, but she had to be carefull, since now she was cold-blooded. The effects of the warm water began to slowly wear off.

* * *

Raph was out again, on the roofs as usual. He cept a very, VERY good eye on the house Liliath disappeared in. Then, finally, ('Yes, YES!') she set her foot out. She was clearly looking for something. Something on the roof. It might be him. He jumped down in front of her, and she gave him a shy smile. Good thing he was in his Nightwatcher suit, so she couldn't see he was blushing. He moved towards her slowly, but steadily. She stammered something and made a move forward. Finally her lips formed a question:"Who are you?". Raph only answered he was the Nightwatcher. Nothing more. Then she turned and ran. She ran back into her old, wrecked house. Raph didn't understand a thing. But her went on with his night patroll.

* * *

Liliath followed him with her eyes, and she decided it was time for action. She lurged around and walked a bit, untill she saw a black bike stop infront of an old warehouse. It was HIS bike. So that's where he lived, she thought. She was ready, ready for action.

She slowly approached and quietly opened the door of the warehouse. She saw the Nightwatcher's back turned towards her, he was cleaning his motorcyle. The door creaked, and he turned around. She couldn't see much of him in the dim light but a black and white image. He wasn't wearing his helmet. He quickly put it on and shoved her out of the door. Liliath's heart was about to explode, as she turned into a living tomato. He gently gave her a last push before closing the door. But she wasn't ready to give up. There was her prince charming's building and it had many windows, but covered with cloth, but she could peek through them.

She saw how he lifted a metal plate and slid into the sewer system! The sewers! Although disgusted beyond words, Liliath followed him, desperate to catch up. She could notice that the Nightwatcher saw her and was aware of her presence, because after five minutes he stopped.

" Why da heck are ya followin' me?!", he asked in a raised tone of voice. Liliath could feel his temper bubbling, but she was not going to answer. Instead she ran away, for the second time this night. She could hear his heavy steps thundering and splashing behind her, though she knew he was far off, and he was giving her only mercy to run. She knew he could go faster.

Dreaming and thinking of the Nightwatcher had made her unaware that she stepped into a warm puddle, ankledeep. But that was enough to cause the transformation. She leapt out of the warm water, but it didn't stop. She was scared. Afraid of the Nightwatcher seeing her and afraid that this is it. That her live would be the one of a turtle girl. Not that she was afraid of the Nightwatcher, no. She felt particularly safe around him, she was scared of his reaction.

* * *

_**Liliath's POV**_

THODD THUMP SPLASH.

He was approaching. And I decided to stay, to take it on, to test him. He came around the corner. And stopped.

"Ya- ya one too!", her exclaimed in surprise. Then he took his helmet off. I expected anything BUT him being a TURTLE. He slid down a zipper and his Nightwatcher suit fell off. He was like me.

He had green, cat-like eyes and was wearing a read ninja mask. He had a large crack in his plastron, and was a deep green color. His muscular arms looked capable of doing ANYTHING and his arrogant look made his seem even more handsome. I understood. it wasn't bad to be a turtle, not in this moment, when I leaned forward, driven by some magnetizing force, and our lips touched. He did not back off. When I was finished with my 2 second activity which seemed to take a long, long time, we blushed.

"I'm Liliath..." I whispered. "I'm Raphael..." he whispered back.

* * *

_**Two weeks later **_

Leonardo was straying in the sewers and looking for useful stuff, when he noticed a sprayed message.

He grasped for air in happiness. The message said:

_**Leo, Don and Mikey, I'm coming back.**_

He knew that handwriting. Raph. He is coming back. And they will welcome him.

As Leo made his way through the tunnels, he noticed a wall where, in bright green, 2 people had written in cursive:

**_This is where I met the real you, this is where I met the real you. _**

**_I love you, and I love you back._**

Leo felt strangely touched by this message and decided to continue following this graffiti. When he entered the sewers underneath 5th Avenue, there was one wall with the bright-red text that confused Leo, and after which he stopped his little hunt and went back to the lair. It said:

_**The Nightwatcher will patrol the streets of New York one last time. **_

_**With a girls on his bike. **_

_**- N/R**_

* * *

**The END**


End file.
